The Missing Hero
by Davi Jones
Summary: Ben Tennyson, wielder of the Omnitrix. He was considered a hero, a savior, even a god. Then, it all changed. Now, he is just the disgraced hero wanted for the death of an entire alien race. Ben and everyone else blames him for what happened. Returning the Omnitrix and abandoning his friends and family, he hoped to live a simple life. Until, a young girl comes knocking at his door.
1. Prelude to The Missing Hero

On a faraway planet in space, there stood a cloaked figure standing in front of a large building. This figure stood among a pile of unconscious bodies. The figure then activated something at his wrist. A green hologram appeared before the figure pressed. Green light illuminated the front of the building. In place of the figure, there stood a green-like being. The being aimed his hands at the building before fire flew out of its hands, creating a hole in the building. The being walked through the wall before heading up a flight of stairs. He then found himself in a room full of advanced technology.

"I've been expecting you," a voice said near the being. The being turned his head to see a small, gray alien, looking up at him. The being walked over to him before tapping its chest. Green light illuminated the room. In the being's place, there stood a sixteen year-old boy, wearing a green jacket with a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. This boy was Ben Tennyson, ex-hero of the universe and wielder of the most powerful device in the universe, the Omnitrix. The Omnitrix was orignally a tool intended to improve relations between alien races by transforming one race to another. However, some seeked to use this device for evil especially the alien conquerer known as VIlgax. It was due to Vilgax that the Omnitrix would evenetually end up in the hands of Ben Tennyson when he was just ten years old. Using the Omnitrix, Ben saved the universe multiple times with the help of his cousin, Gwen, grandpa, Max, and others.

"Hello, Azmuth," Ben greeted.

"Hello, Tennyson," the alien known as Azmuth greeted back. "I'm guessing you're here to return the Omnitrix." The teenager pulled back his left sleeve to reveal the Omnitrix.

"Are you sure about this?" Azmuth asked. Ben nodded his head.

"it's time for the Omnitrix to serve its original purpose," Ben answered.

"Then, so be it," Azmuth responded, closing his eyes. "Omnitrix. Disengage. Code: 0000."

"Code received. Disengaging from user," the AI voice of the Omnitrix called out before falling off Ben's wrist. Ben watched it clatter on the floor before he turned around.

"I guess this is goodbye then," Ben said, walking away.

"Yes, it is," Azmuth replied, picking up the Omnitrix. Ben walked down the flight of stairs as Azmuth walked over to the window. Suddenly, a portal opened up next to him.

"Are you sure this is the right move?" a person in a lab coat asked, walking out of the portal.

"I don't know," Azmuth answered. "You're the time traveller."

"Future is always uncertain," the man replied. They stood there as a jet flew off.

"just tell me," Azmuth said. "Will he live?"

"Getting attached?" the man responded.

"No," Azmuth answered. "He is a wanted man. It would be a waste for a man like Ben to die."

"This is the first time I've heard you call him by his first name," the man pointed out.

"If you say so," Azmuth replied, walking away from the window. "If you ever see him again, wish him luck from me." The man nodded his head before pulling out a flyer.

"The nerve of these people," the man frowned before disappearing in a flash of blue light. The flyer floated onto the ground.

It read," _Ben Tennyson. Wanted: Alive for the extinction of an entire race. If found, please contact the nearest Plumber base. Reward: $50,000,000_. _Note of Caution: This boy is highly dangerous. Do not engage at all means._ "


	2. Episode 1: Time is a Pain in the Ass

Two years have passed since that day. The disgraced hero, Ben Tennyson, was still missing. The price for him has increased, but most of bounty hunters have given up on finding him. Unknown to everyone, Ben was living right under their nose. Currently, he was sitting on his windowsill, gazing out of the window, in his run-down apartment. Going by the name Max, Ben has established a name for himself as Helpful Max. Everyone in the community would come to him with their problems. At first, Ben helped them free of charge, but someone suggested that he should charge them. Ben was agaisnt the idea, but after getting fired for punching his manager, he decided he would charge for his services. Yet, this didn't deter the community. Now, Ben was living a stable life. Ben was wearing a green hoodie, grey trackpants, and white sneakers. His hair was longer and he had a short stubble.

"This is interesting," Ben muttered to himself, taking a sip of the smoothie in his hand. He was looking at a strange man at the nearby bus stop. Normally, this wouldn't worry Ben, but for the past week, there has been an increase in Plumber agents across the area. Of course, this worried Ben. He sucked up the last of his smoothie. Chucking the smoothie at the pile of trash at the corner of his apartment, Ben decided to take a walk to calm his nerves. Suddenly, he heard a knock at his door. Instinctively, Ben pulled out his Plumber blaster. He heard more knocking as he edged slowly to the door.

"Is Max here?" Ben heard a girl's voice. Remaining vigilant, Ben position his right arm behind his back, hiding the laser while opening the door with his left. Opening the door, he saw a young girl wearing a blue shirt with a cat logo and a black skirt while carrying a dark green messenger bag. The girl had long, straight black hair with piercing green eyes.

"That's strange," Ben thought to himself. "She kinda reminds me of Gwen a little."

"Um, are you Helpful Max?" the girl asked.

"Yeah," Ben answered. "What do you want, kid?"

"I'm not a kid," the girl exclaimed, stomping her foot. Ben raised an eyebrow at her.

"For your information, I'm ten years old," the girl stated, holding up ten fingers.

"That's nice to know, kid," Ben replied. "Now then, tell me why are you here?"

"I need your help to find my parents," the girl answered.

"Go to the police," Ben responded, moving to close the door. "I only help people that are within my abilities."

"Wait," the girl cried out, but Ben had already shut the down on her.

"What a pain," Ben grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "I never thought someone would come to me with a missing person case." Ben heard more knocking. He just ignored the knocking, placing his blaster on the couch. Suddenly, he heard a resounding crack. Ben turned his head to see his door flying towards him. Within a second, Ben rolled out of the way before looking to see the girl at the doorway, What surprised Ben the most was that the girl's skin looked like concrete.

"Didn't you here me knock?" the girl asked, breathing heavily. Ben stood up, wiping the dust off his clothing.

"Kid, who are your parents again?" Ben asked.

"My parents' names are Gwen and Kevin," the girl answered.

"And what's your last name?" Ben inquired.

"Levin," the girl told Ben. Ben's eyes widened before he looked closer at the girl.

"No wonder, she reminded me of Gwen," Ben thought to himself.

"Well, why won't you take a seat," Ben offered the girl.

"Thanks," the girl replied; her skin returning to normal. The girl walked over to the partly destroyed couch and sat on the good side. Ben brought a chair over and set it right in front of the girl.

"Now then, tell me what happened," Ben ordered, sitting down. The girl took in a deep breath.

"I don't really much about that day," the girl started off. "I went to school as usual. It was the last day of school, so Mom and Dad was planning something to celebrate. Apparently, it was like a family tradition." Ben nodded his head.

"Must have been planning the road trip," Ben thought to himself.

"But when I got home, I found my house completely wrecked," the girl finished.

"Ok," Ben replied. "So, you assume that your parents were kidnapped."

"No," the girl responded. "I've seen the house demolished before." Ben just looked at the girl before mentally shaking his head.

"So, do you think they have been kidnapped?" Ben asked.

"It wasn't until yesterday that a strange man in a lab coat told me that my parents were kidnapped," the girl answered. Ben raised an eyebrow at her words.

"And did this man lead you to me?" Ben asked, already knowing full well the answer. The girl nodded her head.

"Damn, Paradox," Ben thought to himself.

"Oh, I almost forgot," the girl said, clapping her hands together before rummaging through her bag. Ben watched as the girl brought something out of her bag.

"He told me that once I found you, I was to give you this," the girl stated, handing something over to Ben. Ben's eyes widened in shock as he saw the Omnitrix in his hand.

"He said that once you saw this, you would understand what needed to be done," the girl told Ben.

"Damn, Paradox," Ben muttered to himself. "What is the meaning of this?"

" _User DNA recognized. Commencing warp jump_ ," the Omnitrix suddenly said before glowing blue.

"What the?!" Ben exclaimed before blue light enveloped the entire room. The next thing Ben knew, he found himself on the floor. He groaned as he turned his head to see the Omnitrix in his hand. He then stuffed it into his pocket before sitting up.

"Where the hell am I?" Ben grumbled to himself, looking around the room. "This is definitely not my apartment. What a minute, where is that girl?"

"HELPPP," Ben heard a scream. Immediately, Ben dashed to the window to see the girl being carried off by two hooded figures. Clenching his teeth, he moved away from the window. He then turned around and sprinted towards the window. The sound of glass breaking resounded through the area. He smirked as the figures turned around as he fell towards the ground. Without missing a beat, Ben rolled on the ground before running towards the figures.

"Take her away," one of the figures ordered, handing the girl over to the other figure.

"Understood," the other figure obeyed before lifting the girl up.

"HELPPP," the girl screamed even louder before she disappeared along with the other figure. The main figure then brought out a blaster. He turned around to find Ben right in front of him. Before the figure could pull the trigger, Ben grabbed the figure's wrist and flipped him over. Ben then grabbed the blaster before trying to pull it out of the figure's hand. To his amusement, the figure held on tightly to the blaster.

"Won't let go?" Ben commented before he stomped on the figure's head.

"ARGH!" the figure screamed.

"Let go," Ben ordered.

"Never," the figure responded. "I don't listen to the likes of you."

"Your loss," Ben replied before stomping the figure's head even harder.

"ARGHHH!" the figure screamed even louder. This time, he did let go of the blaster. Ben let go of the figure's wrist before picking up the fallen blaster. He then aimed it at the figure.

"Where have taken her?" Ben demanded to know.

"Why would I tell you/" the figure responded.

"Because I'm the one with the blaster," Ben replied. The figure stayed silent.

"Now, tell me. Where did you take the girl?" Ben asked again.

"I will never tell you," the figure answered.

"Fine by me," Ben replied before pulling the trigger. He didn't react as a laser beam disintegrated the figure's entire head.

"Was that really necessary, Ben?" Ben heard a voice ask behind him. Ben didn't respond as he turned around to see a man in a lab coat.

"I forgot you go by the name Max now," the man corrected himself.

"Professor Paradox," Ben drawled out before aiming the blaster at him. "What are you doing here?"

"That's not nice," the man known as Professor Paradox responded. "Is that how you greet an old friend?"

"I don't care if you're my old friend," Ben replied. "I want to know why you lead that girl to me."

"You don't even know her name," Professor Paradox responded, shaking his head. "It's simple why you're here. You're here to save the universe once again." Ben looked at Professor Paradox before lowering his arm.

"Why don't you ask the Ben of this universe to help you?" Ben asked. Professor Paradox shook his head.

"You still don't understand," Professor Paradox replied. "This is not an alternate dimension. This is your future."

"Ok," Ben responded. "I'm asking is why am I here? You should just ask my future self."

"I can't," Professor Paradox stated. "Currently, he is somewhere that even I can't go." Ben just looked at him before turning around.

"Have you forgotten?" Ben asked. "I am the disgraced hero, Ben Tennyson. Responsible for the death of an entire alien race."

"You know as well as I do that it wasn't your fault," Professor Paradox replied.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Ben said, walking away. "I'm going to find that girl, then drop her off at one of her relatives."

"Do you even know where to look?" Professor Paradox asked. Ben stopped walking before turning his head to look back.

"Is she within Bellwood?" Ben asked. Professor Paradox nodded his head.

"Then, I will find her," Ben replied, moving his head back.

"You won't survive," Professor Paradox stated as Ben walked away. Ben continued to walk away. Professor Paradox sighed before teleporting in front of Ben.

"At least, use the Omnitrix," Professor Paradox said. Ben looked at him before walking past him.

"I swore that I will never use the Omnitrix ever again," Ben stated.

"Then, why do you still have the Omnitrix in your pocket?" Professor Paradox asked. Ben's eyes widened as he felt the watch in his pocket.

"I will let you keep the Omnitrix for now," Professor Paradox said, walking past Ben. "She's at an abandoned warehouse north of Bellwood. I would advise you to go to Mr. Smoothie. I left you a gift." Ben watched as Professor Paradox opened the portal.

"I will be back when you save her," Professor Paradox told Ben.

"How do you know I'm going to save her?" Ben asked. Professor Paradox looked back at Ben.

"Because that's who you are," Professor Paradox answered before walking through the portal. Ben watched as the portal disappeared.

"You put too much faith into me, Paradox," Ben muttered before he walk. To his surprise, he found himself in the middle of a nice suburb, but this wasn't what surprised him. It was the drastic change from what he remembered.

"Of course, it changed," Ben thought to himself. "I am several years into the future, but how far am I?" Ben looked up at the sky.

"It's around twelve o'clock," Ben muttered. "I better hurry." Ben then put his hood up before running off.

* * *

 **At Mr. Smoothies**

Ben looked at the large hologram of Mr. Smoothie. He frowned as he saw that Mr. Smoothie was now a huge corporation.

"Why did you tell me to come here, Paradox?" Ben grumbled to himself.

"Excuse me," Ben heard a voice. He turned around to see a thirty-year old man.

"Are you by any chance Max?" the man asked.

"I am," Ben answered.

"Will you come with me?" the man told Ben. Ben put his hand on his blaster, but followed the man regardless. They walked for a while before entering a garage. Ben stood on guard as the man closed the door behind him.

"Why did you bring me here?" Ben asked.

"A year ago, a man in a lab coat asked me to fix this," the man answered, walking over to something covered by a tarp.

"Paradox," Ben groaned. "How much are you going to interfere with my life?"

"What did he ask you to fix?" Ben asked.

"This," the man answered, pulling off the tarp. Ben was shocked to see a large camper van.

"The Rust Bucket," Ben said. The man nodded his head.

"Apparently, this was destroyed a few years back," the man told Ben, who walked closer to the Rust Bucket. "It took me a whole year to rebuild it from the broken thing it was when it was first brought to me."

"Do you know what happened to it?" Ben asked.

Not really," the man answered. "All I know is that I was to rebuild according to these schematics." The man then brought out a blue piece of paper. He handed it over to Ben, who took a look at it.

"There were some interesting tech, but the man paid in handsomely, so I didn't bother questioning him," the man stated before bringing out a set of car keys. "Here's the key."

"Thanks," Ben replied, taking the car key.

"I will open the garage door for you," the man stated, walking over to a button. "Oh yeah, one question."

"What is it?" Ben asked, unlocking the Rust Bucket door.

'Do you have a man by the name of Max Tennyson?" the man asked.

"Yeah," Ben answered.

"After you're done using this, can you give it back to him?" the man asked. "This was originally his."

"Of course," Ben answered. "Can you tell me where he lives?"

"Yeah," the man replied, pressing the button. "I write it for you." The garage door rolled up as Ben walked into the Rust Bucket. He smiled as he reminisced about that rod trip eight years ago. He shut the door behind him before walking over to the front seat. He inserted the key before starting up the engine. He heard the familiar sound of the Rust Bucket. He gently pressed on the accelerator and felt the Rust Bucket go towards the open garage door. He stopped by the man and rolled down the window.

"Here's the address," the man told Ben, handing over a piece of paper. Ben took the piece of paper and read it. He smiled, recognizing the address.

"Do you know the place?" the man asked.

"Yeah, I do," Ben replied before pocketing the piece of paper.

"See ya," Ben said, driving off.

"You really didn't recognize me, did you?" the man responded before pressing the button once again. "Ben." Ben drove up the streets of Bellwood, heading north. Stopping out a traffic light, Ben pulled out the Omnitrix. He looked at it.

"Is this Omnitrix from my time or from the future?" Ben wondered before seeing the traffic light turn green. He quickly checked the Omnitrix onto the dashboard and drove off.

* * *

 **Later - At the Abandoned Warehouse**

Ben drove down the streets of a dark alley. He looked at the Plumber radar on the Rust Bucket. He smirked as he saw life signs at the nearest building.

"Found you," Ben said before turning off the engine. He then flicked a few switches. He turned around as he saw a gallery of Plumber technology slide out.

"That guy knew his stuff," Ben commented, pulling down a large blaster. He slung it over his shoulder before taking out two small blasters and two blaster holsters. He slipped on the holsters and slipped the blasters into the holsters. He then grabbed a hologram projector.

"i think I'm done," Ben said, pressing a button. The gallery slid back in. Ben then turned around before noticing the Omnitrix on the dashboard. He gazed upon it for a moment.

"Just in case," Ben thought as he picked it up and slid it into his pocket. He left the Rust Bucket. He sneaked over to the warehouse gate. He then pulled out the hologram projector. A radar appeared, showing four blips outside of the warehouse and multiple blips inside. Ben turned off the hologram projector and pocketed it. He peeked around the corner to see two armored men patrolling the front of the warehouse.

"Forever Knights," Ben muttered. "I can't believe they're still here." Ben then pulled his hood before climbing over the wall. He landed quietly on the ground before running over to a box. He then pulled off the large blaster off his shoulder. He checked its core.

"It's a very unstable core. It only has about ten to fifteen shots before it will explode," Ben told himself before grinning. "That's plenty." Ben then heard clanking behind him. Turning the safety off, Ben stayed kneeling behind the box. he heard the clanking get closer to him before stopping. Ben peeked over the top of the box to see a Forever Knight, checking the area. Ben took aim and waited for the Forever Knight to face him. As soon as the Forever Knight turned his head towards Ben, he fired. A singer laser flew through the air before disintegrating the head of the Forever Knight. Ben then jumped over the box before walking over next to the Forever Knight. He inspected the armor.

"Interesting," Ben thought to himself. "They've upgraded the armor. Lucky for me, they still have the same weak spot."

"Hey, are you ok?" Ben heard someone call out. Ben turned around and aimed his gun as he heard metal footsteps approach him. As soon as he saw a glint of metal, he fired. He cursed his foolishness as he saw the laser rebound off the armor of the Forever Knight. He quickly ran over to the slight stunned Forever Knight. At a closer range, Ben pulled up his blaster at the head of the Forever Knight and fired. This time, the laser disintegrated the Forever Knight's head. Ben watched as the Forever Knight's body fell onto the floor. He then ran off towards the front entrance of the warehouse. Ben tried to open the door to test his luck, but as expected, it was locked. Ben then pulled out one of his small blasters with his left hand. He shot the door handle before kicking the door open. He aimed both of his guns, expecting laser shots. To his concern, there was no reaction. Cautiously, Ben entered the warehouse. The warehouse was pitch-black wit no source of light. Out of experience, Ben moved right, walking near the wall of the warehouse. Then, he heard clanking. Turning his head, he saw two Forever Knights walking out of a doorway. One of them had a lamp while the other had a blaster. Slipping his small blaster back into its holster, Ben walked quietly towards the Forever Knights. As soon as he was certain he would be seen, he fired his big blaster at one of the Forever Knights. The laser rebounded off their armor, monetarily stunning the one with the blaster. The other swung his lamp around to see Ben running towards him. Before the Forever Knight could do anything, Ben placed his blaster right at his head and pulled the trigger. Without bothering to see the disintegration, Ben jumped to the left, just dodging a laser shot. He heard the lamp fall onto the ground as he aimed his blaster at the Forever Knight. He fired, but the laser missed. Cursing himself once again, he fired his blaster three times in quick succession. The Forever Knight dodged the first two lasers before taking the brunt of the third laser. Ben followed up by a fourth shot right to the head. For the fourth time that night, Ben disintegrated the head of the Forever Knight. He then picked up the lamp before walking over to the doorway. The lamp was his only source of light as he walked down a flight of stairs. Soon, he found himself in a large room.

"Where am I?" Ben wondered as he placed the lamp on the ground before pulling out the hologram projector. He saw multiple blips on the radar all around him. Then, he noticed a green blip to the let of him.

"That must be her," Ben said to himself before turning his head to the left to see a long hallway. Ben then pocketed the hologram projector and picked up the lamp. He then walked towards the long hallway.

"So, there are three people in my path," Ben thought to himself as he checked the core of his blaster. "And I only have two shots left." Ben just continued to walk before hearing metal footsteps in front of him.

"Dammit," Ben frowned before seeing the Forever Knight.

"HALT," Ben heard a voice call out. "Who goes there?"

"He must not be able to see me," Ben realized before grinning. "I could use this." He looked around him to see a statue. He quickly ran behind the statue, leaving the lamp behind. He got his blaster ready as he heard footsteps.

"Huh?" Ben heard someone say. "Who left this lamp here?" Ben peeked around the corner to see the Forever Knight pick up the lamp.

"Now," Ben shouted mentally as he aimed his gun.

'What's wrong/" Ben heard a second voice ask. Ben immediately moved back behind cover as he heard a second set of metal footsteps come near.

"There's a lamp here."

"Must have been left here by accident."

"That's impossible. This place is pitch-black and there are only enough lamps to be shared between two."

"Not really. Last week, Jeff and Mike left their lamp lying around. It took them the whole day to find it."

"Are they that stupid?"

"Yep. Come on. Let's go try to find who's lamp this belongs to." Ben couldn't believe his luck as he heard the two Forever Knight leave. Ben peeked around the corner to make sure it was safe. As soon as he was sure it was safe, Ben moved out of his hiding place and ran down the hallway. After a while, he saw a light at the end of the hallway. Slowing down, he pulled out his hologram projector. The radar revealed two blips, one yellow and one green.

"Found you," Ben whispered as he walked closer to the light. He then saw the silhouette of a door. He walked over to the door before knocking. Ben lifted his gun upward as someone opened an eye flap.

"Yes," the Forever knight was able to say before Ben disintegrated his head. Ben then kicked the door open to see the girl tied to a chair, unconscious. Ben quickly ran over to her and checked her for any injuries. Luckily, there wasn't any.

"Must have fainted from shock," Ben said, slinging his blaster over his shoulder. "Oi, kid. Wake up."

"Hmmm," the girl groaned before opening her eyes. "Mom?"

"No, kid," Ben responded. "It's Max." The girl's eyes widened in shock.

"Max?!" the girl exclaimed before Ben covered her mouth.

"No shouting," Ben shushed her. "You've been kidnapped. I came to rescue you." Ben then let go of the girl's mouth.

"What do we do?" the girl asked.

"You do nothing," Ben answered. "All you do is absorb that guy's armor." Ben then pointed the armor of the dead Forever Knight. The girl gasped in shock.

"I-I-Is he dead?" the girl stuttered.

"No," Ben lied. "I just stole this armor from their armory." Due to the darkness of the room, the girl couldn't see the blood on the floor.

"Oh, that's good," the girl replied before walking over to the armor. Ben watched as the girl placed her hand on the armor before her skin started to turn just like the armor.

"Now, come on," Ben ordered, grabbing the girl's hand. He then started running, dragging the girl. They ran down the corridor without any problems. They quickly reached the large main room. Ben looked round for a moment before seeing the flight of stairs.

"Come on," Ben commanded, turning his head to the girl huffing and puffing.

"w-w-wait," the girl wheezed out.

"We can't," Ben responded. "We're in enemy territory. This is where the hard work really begins." The girl just continued to breath in heavily, but she stood up. Ben nodded his head before grabbing her hand. He then ran up the flight of stairs with her behind him.

"This is too easy," Ben realized before coming face to face with a horde of Forever Knights aiming their blasters at them.

"Well, well, well," a voice said. Ben turned his head to see an armored man without a helmet walk towards him. Ben moved the girl behind him.

"You are an interesting man," the man stated, looking at Ben.

"How so?" Ben asked.

"No one has ever successfully infiltrated one of my warehouses," the man answered.

"That's nice to know," Ben replied.

"A man of your talents should not be involved saving a girl like her," the man stated.

"Why?" Ben asked.

"Do you not know who she is?" the man responded, surprised.

"I know who she is," Ben answered, gripping her hand even tighter. "I'm asking why shouldn't I save a defenseless girl?" The man looked at Ben.

"There is no point," the man replied, turning around. "I have met men like you. Men with unwavering convictions. What a pity. You could have been part of something greater." Ben grimaced as he heard the Forever nights take aim.

"Kill them," the man ordered. Immediately, Ben grabbed the girl and ran to the right. Ben gritted his teeth as laser was fired at them. Ben could feel the girl curl up in fear in his arms as he continued to run. Then, a laser flew through his stomach. Ben coughed up blood as he tripped and fell onto the floor. His blaster clattered across the floor. Luckily, the girl wasn't injured. Ben looked up to see Forever Knights grab the girl.  
"Take her away," Ben heard the man order.

"n-n-no," Ben weakly called out before coughing up blood.

"MAX!" the girl screamed. "HELP ME."

"No ones helping you, little girl," the man said.

"Sir, what do we do with him?" one of the Forever Knights asked. The man looked at Ben before looking away.

"Let him die here," the man answered, walking away. "Let's go, men."

"Yes, sir," the Forever Knights obeyed.

"NOOOO," the girl screamed, struggling against her captors. Ben shakily looked up. Death threatened to take him.

"I can't die now. I need to save her," Ben weakly thought as he stretched out his hand towards her. Ben then saw a green glow. Ben turned his head to see his pocket glowing.

"The Omnitrix," Ben muttered before coughing up even more blood. He reached into his pocket before pulling it out of his pocket. He smirked as he understood why Professor Paradox gave it to him.

"Sir," one of the Forever knights called out.

"What?" the man asked, irritated.

"Look," the knight answered, pointing to Ben. The man turned around and his eyes widened as he saw Ben, glowing green, stand up.

"It can't be," the man whispered.

"What's wrong, sir?" one of the knights asked.

"I-I-It's him," the man stuttered.

"Oh, I see you recognize me," Ben weakly said, taking off his hood. The man's eyes widened even further as he recognized Ben. Ben strapped the Omnitrix on his left wrist before activating it.

"I-I-It' the disgraced hero," the man shouted. "BEN TENNYSON!" Everyone gasped in shock including the girl as Ben smirked.

" _User recognized. User's health below optimal levels. Bypassing recalibration period_ ," the voice from the Omnitrix said before showing a green hologram.

"IT'S HERO TIME!" Ben shouted before pressing on the Omnitrix. A bright, green light illuminated the entire room, blinding everyone.

" **SWAMPFIRE** ," Ben shouted, now transformed into a green alien. The man could only shake in fear as the hole in Ben's stomach started to put itself back together.

"A-A-A-Attack," the man screamed. All of the knights started firing at Ben. Ben let the lasers hit him, knowing his body would instantly regenerate. The man saw this and looked over to the two knights holding the girl captive.

"Follow me," the man ordered. "We must make sure she doesn't escape." The two knights nodded their heads before lifting up the shocked girl.

"Uncle Ben," the girl whispered as she watched Ben lift his hand up. Fire then streamed out of his hands, hitting multiple knights. He then started running towards the girl. Multiple knights tried to block his path, but he barreled through them. He created a fireball in his hand as he saw the girl being carried towards the exit. He then hurled a fireball at the girl's captors. The explosion threw the girl and her captors upward. Tapping his chest, green light illuminated the room once again. Ben was now transformed into a blue and black alien with a tail known as XlR8. Ben then dashed towards the falling girl before catching her. The girl looked at Ben.

"Uncle Ben," the girl said.

"No," Ben replied. "I am not your uncle." Ben then ran out of the warehouse at high speeds. He then left the girl next to the Rust Bucket.

"Stay here," Ben ordered before running back into the warehouse. Ben then stood in front of the army of Forever Knights.

"It's time to put an end to you," Ben said before running towards the army. Using his supernatural speed, he incapacitated the entire army of Forever Knights before standing right in front of the man.

"H-H-H-How are you alive?" the man stuttered as Ben tapped his chest, reverting back to human. Ben just smiled at the man before grabbing his face.

"I don't know what you mean," Ben replied.

"You should be dead," the man stated. "Vilgax killed you." Ben raised an eyebrow at the mention of Vilgax's name.

"So, Vilgax finally got one on me," Ben responded before pulling out one of his small blasters. He then pressed it against the man's forehead.

"Y-Y-You will never survive," the man exclaimed in panic. "They will kill you and that Levin brat."

"If you say so," Ben replied before pulling the trigger. He watched as the laser disintegrated the man's head. he felt the blood splash on his hand and face.

"Do you have to kill, Ben?" Ben heard a voice behind him.

"It is a necessary evil," Ben answered, turning around to see Professor Paradox.

"I see you're wearing the watch," Professor Paradox commented. Ben looked at the Omnitrix around his wrist.

"I really didn't have much of a choice," Ben replied.

"You know you didn't have to save her," Professor Paradox told Ben.

"Saving her is repentance for my many sins," Ben merely said before walking over to Professor Paradox. "Now, take me to Azmuth, so he can take back the Omnitrix."

"Azmuth is dead," Professor Paradox told Ben. Ben looked at him in shock.

"How is that possible?!" Ben questioned.

"Vilgax," Professor Paradox answered. "It happened a year ago." Ben looked at Professor Paradox in surprise.

"It was him, who told me to get you from the past and bring you to the future," Professor Paradox told Ben.

"Why?" Ben asked.

"I do not know," Professor Paradox answered. ben raised an eyebrow.

"I may be a time traveller, but I don't always have all of the answers," Professor Paradox responded. Ben nodded his head before looking at the Omnitrix.

"So what do you plan to do, Ben?" Professor Paradox asked. "Do you wish to save the universe one more time or do you want to go back to your timeline?" Ben stayed silent before looking up at the sky.

"I don't know," Ben admitted, looking back down.

"If you ever decide," Professor Paradox said before chucking Ben something. Ben caught it and looked to see a ring.

"You contact me through this ring," Professor Paradox told Ben. Ben nodded his head before slipping the ring over his finger.

"Goodbye, Ben," Professor Paradox said before opening a portal. "I hope you make the right decision." Ben just watched as Professor paradox walked through the portal before it disappeared. Ben then looked at the sight of all of the unconscious bodies of the Forever Knights. Looking at his blaster, he knew what he had to do.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

Ben leaned against the wall of the Rust Bucket. He was smoking a cigarette while wearing sunglasses. He was dressed in an entirely different outfit. Ditching the hoodie, he wore a black leather jacket with green outlines and a gray t-shirt. He was now wearing blue jeans and black sneakers. He also wore a pair of sunglasses and shaved off his stubble. His slightly long hair was the only thing he kept. He pulled out his cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke.

"mom says those are bad for you," Ben heard someone tell him. He turned his head to see the girl standing there with a large suitcase.

"Is that everything you own?" Ben asked. The girl nodded her head.

"Ok, then," Ben replied, unlocking the car door. He opened the door before looking at the girl.

"Are you sure about this?" Ben asked. The girl nodded her head.

"I hired you to find my parents," the girl answered. "I want to help you find them."

"It's your choice," Ben shrugged before walking into the Rust Bucket. He walked to the front seat and swiveled his chair around to see the girl lift her suitcase onto the Rust Bucket before wheeling to one of the bunk beds. She then slid it under one of the beds.

"Close the door behind you," Ben called out.

"Yes, Uncle Ben." the girl responded, walking over to the door and closing it. Ben watched as the girl walked over to him and sat down at the passenger seat.

"Who said you could sit there?" Ben asked, starting up the engine.

"Dad lets me sit here," the girl answered.

"Well, I'm not your dad," Ben replied before motioning his head. "Go to the back." The girl frowned before walking all the way to the seat around a table.

'Good girl," Ben said before pressing on the accelerator. The Rust Bucket drove off and headed towards the motorway.

"I never did get your name," Ben told the girl, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I will tell you my name if you let me sit at the front," the girl responded.

"Ok," Ben replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't mind to keep calling you kid."

"Please, don't," the girl responded.

"Then, tell me your name," Ben told her.

"Let me sit at the front," the girl insisted.

"No," Ben rejected, taking out his cigarette and snubbing it at the ash tray.

"Why not?" the girl questioned.

"Because only grown-ups are allowed at the front," Ben answered.

"I am a grown-up," the girl whined.

"First of all, a grown-up doesn't whine," Ben replied. He smirked as he heard the girl humph indignantly. Ben looked at the mirror to see the girl with a pout.

"I'm just kidding," Ben said. "It's no fun if I'm at the front all by myself." The girl looked at Ben in surprise before running over to the front.

"Thanks, Uncle Ben," the girl said, sitting down. She quickly buckled her seatbelt before smiling at Ben.

"Now then," Ben said. "Since I let you sit at the front, tell me your name."

"It's Aurora Benjamin Levin," the girl told Ben," But everyone calls me by my middle name."

"Of course, they do," Ben replied. "Alright, Ben. From now on, call me Uncle Max."

"Why?" the girl asked.

"I told you," Ben replied, rolling his eyes. "You already have an Uncle Ben. I am not taking his place even though you have never met him." The girl known as Arora looked at Ben before nodding her head.

"If you say so," Aurora replied before her smile widened. "Uncle Max." Ben smiled at her.

"Thanks, kid," Ben replied, ruffling her hair.

"Stop it," Aurora complained. Ben just smiled. At the hilltop, Professor Paradox smiled as he watched the Rust Bucket drive away.

"i see you made your choice, Ben," Professor Paradox smiled before disappearing in a flash of blue light.


	3. Episode 2: Three is a Crowd

Two days have passed since Ben and Aurora left on their trip. Right now, they were at an electric charge station, refueling the Rust Bucket. Ben leaning against the Rust Bucket, smoking a cigarette, while Aurora was inside, playing on her IPro 4, which was the fourth generation model of the portable holographic device created by the tech giant, Pear. Ben was looking up at the bright, blue sky, thinking about his situation. Then, he heard the van clink, signaling that it was fully charged. Ben turned his head to see the plug retract itself into its charging station. Ben then opened the door into the Rust Bucket and looked in.

"Hey, do you want to me to get you anything?" Ben asked Aurora.

"Can you get me some candy?" Aurora answered.

"What type?" Ben asked.

"Just some chocolate," Aurora clarified, not taking her eyes off her device. Ben nodded his head before leaving the Rust Bucket. He walked over to the charging station before pressing a button. A hologram appeared with a list of pictures. He tapped on one of the pictures before increasing the quantity. He then scrolled down the list before finding a picture of some cigarettes. He pressed on it before increasing the quantity. He then pressed the pay button. The price came up on the screen before pointing to a scanner. Ben looked around to make sure no one was around before pulled back his sleeve, revealing the Omnitrix. He placed the Omnitrix right in front of the scanner. He smirked as he heard the scanner beep.

"I'm so glad I learnt this trick," Ben thought as he pulled his arm back. "Although, it was by accident." He saw a tray of chocolate and cigarettes roll out of the charging station. He grabbed the packs of chocolate before pocketing the packs of cigarettes. He entered the Rust Bucket.

"Here you go," Ben said, handing Aurora the chocolate.

"Thanks, Uncle Max," Aurora responded, grabbing the chocolate before peeling off the wrapping. She bit down on the chocolate.

"Yummy," Aurora smiled, savoring the taste of chocolate.

"I'm guessing you don't get much chocolate," Ben commented, starting up the engine. Aurora nodded her head before eating even more chocolate.

"My babysitter wouldn't let me eat chocolate," Aurora stated.

"What about your parents?" Ben asked, turning the van onto the road. Aurora lost her smile as she looked at the chocolate in her hands.

"I'm guessing they're not home a lot," Ben said, noticing Aurora's reaction. Aurora nodded her head.

"Who's your babysitter?" Ben asked.

"Her name is Julie," Aurora answered. "Right now, she's at the Olympics." Ben nodded his head, recognizing the name.

"But when my parents are home, they always take me out or tell me stories when they were younger," Aurora stated. Ben glanced at Aurora and was relieved to see her smiling.

"That must be nice," Ben replied.

"Most of the stories had you in it," Aurora told Ben, looking at him. "They would always describe you as a great hero, who saved the universe multiple times."

"That's a lie," Ben responded. "I am no hero. I only saved the universe out of obligation not by choice."

"Really?" Aurora replied. Ben just nodded his head. Aurora looked back at her chocolate.

"Then, why did you are helping me find my parents?" Aurora asked, looking back at Ben. "You aren't obligated to do so." Ben stayed silent. Instead, he took out his cigarette before snubbing it on the ash tray.

"Well?" Aurora asked.

"It doesn't matter what my reasons are," Ben answered. "I'm just here to help you. End of story." Aurora glared at Ben before going back to eating her chocolate.

* * *

 **Two hours later**

Ben drove down a dark street. Aurora was looking out the window, slight scared of their surroundings. Ben then stopped the Rust Bucket before turning off the engine.

"Why did you stop?" Aurora asked, panicked. "Shouldn't we keep on moving?"

"Stop acting so scared," Ben replied, getting out of his seat. "We're at an entrance of an old Plumber base." Aurora looked at Ben in surprise.

"Why are we here?" Aurora asked.

"I have some stuff in storage here," Ben answered, walking out of the Rust Bucket. "We're only going to be here for the day. Come on." Aurora shakily followed Ben outside. As soon as she stepped off the Rust Bucket, Ben closed the door before locking the van. Aurora looked around fearfully before Ben put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," Ben reassured her. "I'm here." Aurora looked at Ben before nodding her head.

"Stay close," Ben ordered as he walked down an alley. Aurora followed very closely. Every sound terrified Aurora, but Ben would just smile at her and she knew he would protect her. They walked down the alley for a bit before Ben walked in front of a door. He tried to open the door, but found it stuck.

"What's wrong?" Aurora asked as Ben kept on trying to open the door.

"Nothing," Ben answered. "It seems that no one has been here for a long time. Move back." Aurora moved away from Ben as he moved back bit before raising his leg. He then kicked the door down, scaring Aurora a bit.

"Let's go," Ben ordered as Aurora looked at the dark hallway.

"Are you sure?" Aurora asked.

"Yeah," Ben answered before extending his hand out to Aurora. "Hold onto my hand. I don't want you getting lost." Aurora nodded her head before grabbing onto Ben's hand. Ben then pulled out a flashlight from his pocket. He turned it on and then, the duo walked into the dark hallway. They walked for a while with the flashlight as their only light source. Soon, they saw an old metal door.

"Here it is," Ben said, waling over to the metal door.

"What is that?" Aurora asked.

'It's the entrance to the Plumber base," Ben answered as he aimed his flashlight at the keypad next to the door. "I wonder if it's still the same password." Ben tapped four buttons before hearing a click from the door.

"What did you do?" Aurora asked.

"I pressed a set of numbers in a certain order to unlock the door," Ben answered before opening the door.

'Really?" Aurora responded as they entered the room. "Don't you just have to press your hand on the door handle and it unlocks immediately." Ben shook his head at Aurora's words.

"I forget that it is several years into the future," Ben replied as he shut the door. He heard it click before moving his flashlight around. "Technology must be a huge improvement from my time."

"What was technology like in your time?" Aurora asked as Ben found what he was looking for.

"We didn't have any fancy stuff like IPros or electric cars," Ben answered as he walked over to a light switch. "Now, cover your eyes." Aurora closed her eyes as Ben flicked on the switch. Light illuminated the room. Ben turned off the flashlight while closing his eyes. After a moment, he opened his eyes to see a dusty room with a bunch of boxes.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Aurora asked.

"Yeah," Ben answered, letting go her hand. Aurora opened her eyes to see the room.

"This is a Plumber base?" Aurora responded with surprise in her voice.

"Yeah," Ben replied, walking over to one of the boxes. "This is an old Plumber base, so it would only be used for storage."

"Why are we here then?" Aurora asked.

"Some of the old tech here could be very useful," Ben answered as he opened up one of the boxes, revealing a bunch of blasters. "Go, look around. You might find something you like." Aurora nodded her head before walking over to a random box. Ben picked up one of the blasters before inspecting it.

"It's like the one I used when i saved Aurora," Ben said to himself as he placed the blaster back into the box. He moved to one of the other boxes. As he grabbed onto the lid of the box, he noticed a strange beeping from his wrist. Ben pulled back his jacket sleeve to see the Omnitrix beeping.

"What the?" Ben responded before noticing a strange green glow from one of the boxes at the corner of the room. He walked over and lifted the lid of the box. To his surprise, he found a strange green device glowing in the box. Suddenly, the device flew to Ben's left wrist.

"What the hell?!" Ben stumbled back in shock as he felt a strange sensation around his wrist.

" _Evolutionary Device attached to Omnitrix. Playing Recording 001_ ," Ben heard the Omnitrix say. He looked at his wrist to see a hologram of Azmuth appear on the Omnitrix, which had the strange device attached to it.

"Azmuth!" Ben responded, looking behind him to make sure Aurora wasn't looking at him. Luckily, Aurora was intrigued at something at the other side of the room.

" _Hello, Tennyson_ ** _,"_** Ben heard the hologram of Azmuth speak. He turned his head to watch the hologram.

" _If you're watching this, then I have failed_ ," Azmuth stated.

"Failed what?" Ben questioned.

" _Knowing you, you have a lot of questions_ ," Azmuth continued. " _I will start off with the device attached to the Omnitrix. It is called an Evolutionary Device. It is an add-on for the Omnitrix in case the Omnitrix was needed to be used for a means of combat. I left this here, knowing this would be the first place you would go to_." Ben's eyes widened in surprise.

" _It has the ability to evolve an alien's DNA in an instant to match your scenario_ ," Azmuth explained. " _Of course, it drains a lot of power from the Omnitrix, so you are only able to use it twice before the Omnitrix needs to recharge. This leads to the second thing I want to tell you, the Omnitrix. Don't worry, it is not the one from your timeline. Knowing me, I probably gave the Omnitrix to Professor Paradox just before I died. As you will find out, I added some more features to the Omnitrix after you returned it all those years ago. I have also left you with access to the Master Control, but it is limited due to the destruction of Primus a year ago._ " Ben was shocked at the news that Primus, the source of the Omnitrix, was destroyed.

" _You still access to all of the aliens, but the Master Control only gives you access to ten_ ," Azmuth stated. " _Now then to the reason why you're here. Two years ago, you came to me with Paradox about a threat unlike one we have ever seen."_ Ben was surprised that his future self went to Azmuth.

" _You concocted a plan to stop this threat_ ," Azmuth continued. " _Evidently, we failed. You perished, sacrificing your life to deal a heavy blow to the enemy. After you died, Paradox and I created a plan to bring you to the future and save the wor~no-the universe once again. However, it took us a while to find the right Ben to bring to the future, which wouldn't affect the space-time continuum."_ Ben just shook his head at Azmuth's words.

" _Ben Tennyson. You are this universe's last hope_ ," Azmuth stated. " _I leave the future in your hands_. _Right now, we have reason to assume that their base is located in Rome. The location is in the Omnitrix database. I have some left some equipment for you in the box. Any expenses you have the Omnitrix will be able to cover. I wish you luck, Tennyson._ " Ben nodded his head as the hologram disappeared. Ben was about to walk away when the hologram appeared once again.

" _One piece of advice_ ," Azmuth said. " _Don't trust the Plumbers of this time. They have infiltrated_." Ben was shocked at Azmuth's words. The hologram disappeared.

" _Evolutionary Device incompatible with current Omnitrix_ ," Ben heard the Omnitrix speak. " _Starting recalibration_." Ben pulled his jacket sleeve down as he saw the Omnitrix turn blue. Ben looked inside the box to see a stash of high-grade alien technology.

"Hey, kid," Ben called out. "Come over here."

"I'm not a kid," Aurora yelled back, walking over to Ben.

"If you say so," Ben replied, picking up a metal gauntlet. "There's some high quality stuff here, so go grab anything that interests you."

"Why not just take the whole box?" Aurora asked.

"I don't have the room," Ben answered before handing Aurora the gauntlet. " Here."

"What is it?" Aurora asked, looking over the gauntlet.

"It's a Mark 2 Beta Hand," Ben answered.

"How do you know that?" Aurora asked, surprised at Ben's knowledge.

"There's an engraving along the gauntlet," Ben answered, pointing to it. "I don't know much about the features, but I know the metal is resistant to most blasters." Aurora looked at the gauntlet in surprise.

"Whenever we go out, have that with you at all times," Ben stated. "Sometimes, you might not be able to absorb due to circumstances, but if you wear that glove all the time, you will have at least decent metal to absorb." Aurora nodded her head before putting the gauntlet on over her right hand.

"Wow, it's a perfect fit," Aurora responded, surprised.

"it probably recalibrated itself when you were holding it," Ben explained. Aurora nodded her head before flexing her fingers. Suddenly, an orange laser blade appeared out of the gauntlet.

"WOW?!" Aurora exclaimed, surprised. Ben raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

"It seems this gauntlet could have more uses," Ben stated. "I'm going to have to teach you how to use that."

"Yes," Aurora cheered. "So, how do you turn this off?"

"Flex your fingers probably," Ben answered, looking back inside the box and saw something that caught his eye. He picked up a gun as Aurora flexed her fingers again. The orange blade disappeared before Aurora looked up to see Ben inspecting the gun.

"The Proto-Gun," Ben read the inscription before the gun shrunk and became the size of a pistol.

"Interesting," ben thought before he stuffed the Proto-Gun in the back of his pants.

"Why do you need a weapon?" Aurora asked. "You have the Omnitrix." Ben looked at Aurora.

"Years before you were born, I swore to myself that I would never use Omnitrix ever again," Ben stated.

"But you used it at the warehouse," Aurora pointed out.

"I had no choice," Ben argued. "It was the only way I could save your life." Aurora was silent while Ben picked up a few more things out of the box.

"Here," Ben said, chucking Aurora something else. Aurora caught it before seeing in her hands a book.

"What is this?" Aurora asked.

"A spells book," Ben answered. Aurora looked at the book in surprise.

"Why would a spells book in an old Plumber base?" Aurora asked.

"I don't know," Ben answered, pocketing some equipment before replacing his shades with a pair from the box.

"Are you done?" Ben asked Aurora. She nodded her head, tucking the book underneath her arm.

"Make sure you take good care of that book," Ben warned Aurora.

"Why?" Aurora asked.

"These books contain a lot of magical power, so any damage to that book might release the power inside, causing an explosion," Ben answered. Aurora looked at Ben in surprise.

"Let's go," Ben said. Ben opened the door and Aurora walked through. Ben followed suit before closing the door. He heard the click and nodded his head.

"Umm, Uncle Max. It's too dark. Where's the flashlight?" Aurora said.

"Oh, sorry," Ben replied, pulling out the flashlight and turning it on. Ben and Aurora walked out of the dark hallway and towards the Rust Bucket. Ben then heard something. He looked around, slight concerned.

"What's wrong?" Aurora asked, noticing Ben's cautious movement.

"I don't know," Ben answered, putting his hand on the gun behind his back. "Be careful." Aurora looked scared for a moment as they continued walking to the Rust Bucket. He heard a footstep behind him. Whipping around, he pulled out the Photo-Gun and fired a warning shot.

"AHHHHH," Aurora and someone else screamed as Ben just looked at the culprit. Aurora turned around to see a teenage girl, in ragged clothing with light platinum hair and slightly tanned skin, looking at them with a terrified expression.

"Oh, it's just a girl," Ben responded, stuffing the gun back into his pants.

"Wha-Wha-What were you thinking?!" Aurora exclaimed. "You nearly shot her."

"But I didn't," Ben replied, taking out his cigarette packet. He took a cigarette before lighting git. Aurora was next to the girl trying to calm her down. Ben breathed out a puff of smoke before looking at the girl.

"She isn't that skinny, so she hasn't been out on the streets for that long. That fact that she didn't faint from the shot meant that she is used to the sound of gunshots, but her terrified expressions means that she has never been shot at. Her clothes seem to be made of silk and cotton, so she comes from a rich family," Ben deduced before walking over to the girl.

"What's your name?" Ben asked the girl. She shakily looked up at Ben while Aurora glared at him.

"J-J-Jennifer Murray," the girl stuttered, looking up at Ben. Aurora gasped when the girl known as Jennifer said her name.  
"Are you by any chance Jennifer Murray, hear to the Murray family?" Aurora asked Jennifer. Jennifer looked at her before nodding her head.

"What's this about?" Ben asked.

"The Murray family," Aurora answered. "The richest family in America."

"They didn't exist in my time," Ben replied, shaking his head. Jennifer looked at Ben in surprise.

"So you don't know who I am?" Jennifer asked. Ben nodded his head. Jennifer suddenly grabbed Ben's hand.

"Please take me with you," Jennifer pleaded.

"No," Ben replied, removing his hand out of Jennifer's grasp. "I'm not going to let a complete stranger come with us."

"but Uncle~," Aurora responded.

"No," Ben silenced her. "First of all, we don't even know who she is. Second, never trust strangers. Third, I honestly don't care what happens to her." Aurora glared at Ben while Jennifer was depressed at Ben's words. Ben turned around to walk away. Then, he noticed a flash off light from the rooftop.

"Look out," Ben shouted, pulling out his gun and firing it at the rooftop.

"AHHHH," Aurora and Jennifer screamed as they heard two gunshots. A bullet embedded itself into the ground next to Jennifer and Aurora while Ben smirked as he saw a body fall off the roof.

"Aurora, let's go," Ben ordered. "We got to go."

"We can't leave without her," Aurora insisted. Ben looked at Aurora to see her with a determined expression on her face. Ben looked unamused at her before sighing.

"Get to the Rust Bucket now," Ben commanded. "It's shielded, so it's the safest place right now."

"Thanks, Uncle Max," Aurora smiled at Ben before looking at Jennifer. "Let's go. Uncle Max is going to protect you." Jennifer looked stunned as Aurora ran with her towards the Rust Bucket. Ben followed behind them before noticing another flash of light. He fired his gun again, but frowned as he realized he missed.

"I distracted them," Ben thought as he unlocked the Rust Bucket. Aurora and Jennifer entered the Rust Bucket as Ben stood outside. He looked around his surroundings. His new sunglasses showed five heat signals; three were originating from around the corner while two were on top of the rooftops.

"Buckle your seatbelt," Ben shouted as he entered the Rust Bucket. "This is going to be one hell of a ride." Ben locked the door behind him before running over to the front seat. He quickly turned on the engine before pressing on the accelerator. The Rust Bucket zoomed off down the street. Ben looked at the rearview mirror to see Aurora and Jennifer holding onto dear life at the table.

"Girls, I would advise to brace yourselves," Ben suggested, pressing a button. A surge of electricity flowed outside of the Rust Bucket, creating a energy shield. Ben saw the end of the dark street and braced himself for the impact. As soon as he drove out of the street, a black SUV rammed right into the Rust Bucket.

"AHHHHH," the girls screamed as they felt the impact. Ben smirked as he watched the black SUV be demolished by the shield around the van.

"Sucker," Ben grinned, swerving to the right. The van smacked the SUV away before driving down the street. Ben looked at his sideview mirrors to see multiple SUVs approaching them.

"It's about to get bumpy," Ben called out as he pressed even harder on the accelerator. The Rust Bucket zoomed away down the street. Ben could see upcoming traffic and flicked a switch. The Rust Bucket started to rumble before it started to fly. The steering wheel disappeared before being replaced by a joystick.

"I love the future," Ben thought to himself as he pressed another button. The song," It's my life," by Bon Jovi started to play. Ben nodded his head to the tune as he saw the SUVs start flying after him. Ben then activated the GPS before feeling multiple impacts. Ben looked at his mirror to see the SUVs firing at him.

"Those are some high-grade vehicles," Ben commented before he activated the voice-control. "Computer, auto-drive to Rome, Italy."

" _Order received. Engaging auto-pilot. Quickest flight path deducted_ ," the Rust Bucket computer said. Ben then moved to the back of the Rust Bucket to see five SUVs firing at them.

"Computer, fire the blaster exactly like what I say," Ben ordered. "A fifty degree angle upwards and twenty degrees from north. A fifteen degree angle downwards and thirty degrees from north. A thirty degree angle upward and eighty degrees from west. A twenty degree upward and seventy degrees from east. A ten degree downward and zero degrees from north."

" _Order received. Activating safety measures_ ," the AI voice obeyed. Ben then heard machinery above them before five laser shots. He looked outside the back window to see three SUVs destroyed.

"Dammit," Ben cursed before seeing two laser shots. The shots shook the Rust Bucket, but the shield once again saved them. By now, Aurora and Jennifer have both fainted.

" _Shield levels at fifty percent_ ," Ben heard the computer AI say.

"Why didn't Azmuth leave me with any flyers?" Ben thought as he looked at the back to see the SUVs charge up again. Ben then thought of something. Running over to the front, he sat down and grabbed the joystick.

"Computer, disengage auto-drive," Ben ordered. " _Provide view of the rear_."

" _Order received. Disengaging auto-drive_ ," the computer responded. " _Displaying rear view_." Ben looked at the screen of the rear view of the Rust Bucket. He saw the two SUVs about to fire off their lasers.

"Here goes nothing," Ben muttered to himself before pulling the joystick to the right while pressing hard on the accelerator. The Rust Bucket swerved to the right at high speeds. He smirked as he saw the laser shots whiz past them. ben then straightened the joystick, making the Rust Bucket fly right towards the SUVs.

"Computer, fire all electronic devices within fifty yards of us in three seconds," Ben ordered.

" _Order received_ ," the computer said. Ben could feel a bead of sweat on his skin as the Rust Bucket flew towards the SUVs. Then, he heard three shots. Both of the SUVs exploded while the Rust Bucket was hit by one of the SUVs' shot.

" _Shield levels at zero percent_ ," Ben heard, but he completely ignored that as he leaned back into his seat.

"Whew," Ben sighed in relief. "I didn't think we were going to get out of that one. Computer, return to auto-pilot."

" _Order received. Activating auto-pilot_ ," the computer replied as Ben walked over to Aurora and Jennifer. Ben looked at the two unconscious girls, shaking his head.

"They have a lot to learn," Ben muttered to himself before he started lifting the girls to the bunk beds at the back. After tucking them in, Ben walked over to the front.

"Computer, what is the estimated arrival time to Rome at full speed?" Ben asked.

" _Approximately one to two hours_ ," the computer answered.

"Ok, go full speed. We need to get to Rome as soon as possible," Ben ordered.

" _Order received. Shifting all power to boosters_ ," the computer said. Ben felt a huge burst of speed as he walked to the front seat.

* * *

 **About two hours later**

Ben was reading the rules of Rome when he heard Aurora stir. He turned his head to see Aurora sleepily walking over to him.

"Have a good nap?" Ben asked in a lighthearted tone.

"What happened?" Aurora responded.

"Well, you fainted while took care of that girl's chasers," Ben answered as he watched Aurora sit down.

"I can't believe I fainted," Aurora grumbled.

"It's too be expected for someone your age," Ben reassured her.

"Did you faint when you were my age?" Aurora asked, looking at Ben.

"Um," Ben responded before looking away.

"See," Aurora pointed out.

"Anyway, the better question is what do we do you with that girl?" Ben said, quickly changing the subject. "She clearly doesn't want to go home, but I'm not going to be responsible for her."

"Why not?" Aurora asked.

"She's a complete stranger," Ben answered. "I don't even know if we can completely trust her."

"But she has nowhere else to go," Aurora pointed out.

"She's rich," Ben scoffed. "I'm sure someone will help her."

"Why not us?" Aurora questioned.

"I just told you," Ben responded. "I'm not going to be responsible for another kid."

"But you can't leave her like that," Aurora argued.

"I can and I will," Ben replied, standing up. "She's going to the police station." Aurora watched as Ben walked over to the sleeping Jennifer.

"WAKE UP," Ben shouted. Jennifer jerked awake before looking at Ben in fear.

"Stop looking so scared," Ben responded before chucking her a spare jacket. "Come on, we're taking you to the police station." Jennifer shook her head as she tried to move away from Ben as much as possible.

"no, no police," Jennifer whispered. Ben heard this and raised an eyebrow.

"We're not in America, you know," Ben told her. Still, Jennifer just shook her head.

"no police," she whispered again.

"Quit your complaining," Ben responded, losing patience. He grabbed onto Jennifer's arm.

"NO," Jennifer screamed before sending out a shockwave. Ben was flung across before crashing into the wall of the Rust Bucket.

"UNCLE MAX," Aurora yelled in alarm, running over to Ben. Ben shook his head before looking up to see Jennifer surrounded in electricity. Ben then noticed the bruises all across her arms.

"Oh," Ben understood before standing up. Jennifer tensed up and the electricity started to circle around her even faster.

"It's funny how the richest family in America abuses their own daughter," Ben said before rubbing the back of his head. "I feel kinda bad now." Jennifer continued to looked at Ben while he looked at Aurora, who was shocked to see bruises on Jennifer. He then looked back at Jennifer.

"I don't know what to do now," Ben thought. Then, there was a knock at the door. Ben and Aurora walked over to the door before Ben opened it to reveal a police officer.

"Oh, hi officer," Ben greeted.

"Good afternoon," the police officer greeted. "Are you having any trouble?"

"No, sir," Ben lied with a smile on his face. Aurora looked at Ben in surprise, but the police officer luckily didn't notice this.

"We're sorry for the inconvenience. We are just investigating all foreign vehicles," the police officer explained.

"Why?" Ben asked.

"Well, an important individual has been kidnapped and we have reason to believe that a foreign vehicle has her," the police officer answered.

"Who is this person?" Ben inquired. "I wish to be able to help." The police officer was quiet for a moment.

"Well, it won't hurt for you to know," the police officer replied before bringing out a picture. Ben looked at the picture and recognized Jennifer.

"This is the heir to Murray family," the police officer told Ben. "She went missing about four days ago. Her father has been looking for her this entire time." Ben nodded his head.

"If you see, please call us," the police officer told Ben, stuffing the picture back into his pocket. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"No problem. You're just doing your job," Ben replied. "I will call you if I ever see her around here." The police officer nodded his head before walking away. Ben closed the door before looking at Jennifer.

"Seems like you're a fugitive," Ben commented. Jennifer looked at Ben in fear.

"Don't worry," Ben reassured her. "You can stay here for now." Ben then walked over to the front of the Rust Bucket before pressing a button. Three earpieces appeared, which Ben grabbed. He chucked one to Aurora before handing one over to Jennifer. Jennifer and Aurora looked at it.

"What is this, Uncle Max?" Aurora asked as Ben put on his earpiece.

'It's an earpiece," Ben answered. "It gives a form of communication if we ever get separated. It has its own frequency, so no one can listen in onto our conversation without knowing what the frequency is." Aurora put on the earpiece while Jennifer just looked at it. Ben then walked over to the door before opening it.

"You stay here," Ben ordered both Aurora and Jennifer.

"What?!" Aurora exclaimed. "Why do we have to stay here?"

"Because where I'm going it might be dangerous," Ben explained. "I don't endanger you if possible. Not until you have some proper training."

"But," Aurora responded.

"Not a single word," Ben commanded. Aurora shut up as Ben left the Rust Bucket. He shut the door before locking it.

"Hopefully, I will be able to find her parents here," Ben thought before walking away. Ben looked around the city of Rome, disgusted by the lack of rich architecture he remembers from his time.

"Where are all of the cathedrals?" Ben thought as he walked through the streets of Rome. "No matter, I need to find the location." Ben pulled back his jacket sleeve before tapping the top of the Omnitrix. He saw a holographic map appear with a green blip.

"Hmmm, the location is quite a far distance away," Ben thought before looking at the Omnitrix. "Should I?" Ben then shook his head.

"I made a vow," Ben chastised himself. Ben looked at the map before walking.

* * *

 **Later**

Ben turned the corner to see a huge apartment block. He checked the map to see the yellow blip right in front of him.

"Who would have thought that the base would have been an apartment block?" Ben thought to himself before he pulled out his Proto-Gun. "Time to see what this baby can do." Ben then tapped the symbol on the side of the gun. It changed into a blaster. Ben then walked into the apartment block. The first thing Ben noticed was how quiet it was.

"Where is everybody?" Ben thought as he continued to walk. Ben walked over to the reception. He wiped his finger on the desk and looked at his finger to see the massive amounts of dust on it. Ben then looked around to see an elevator. He walked over before pressing the button. He waited for the elevator to come down. As soon as he heard the ding, he lifted the Proto-Gun up. The door opened to reveal no one inside.

"That's weird," Ben commented before walking into the elevator. He looked at all of the buttons before pressing the one leading to the penthouse suite. He then just stood there as the elevator went upwards at rapid speeds.

"Wow," Ben said as he felt the speed of the elevator. Then, he heard the elevator ding. He aimed his gun as the doors open to reveal the penthouse suite. Once again, there was no one. Ben started to get paranoid as he slowly walked out of the elevator before turning around the corner to see no one. He cautiously walked over to the door. When he tried to open the door, Ben was surprised to see that the door opened. Peeking his head around the corner, he saw an empty room with absolutely no one inside. He entered the room before seeing a large desk at the end. Ben inspected the desk to find it completely empty.

"It was a fake," Ben stated. "But why is an apartment complex empty?" Ben then noticed a strange button at the wall. He walked over to it before pressing it. To his joy, he saw the wall lift up to reveal a hidden room.

"Here it is," Ben thought as he walked into the room to see multiple screens and a stack of paper on a desk. Ben grabbed the stack of paper before reading the top page. Immediately, his eyes widened as he dropped the stack of paper. He turned around to see the wall shut on him.

"NO," Ben screamed before shooting the wall. The shots embedded themselves into the wall, but the holes were instantly covered over. Then, he heard the screens turn on. He whipped his head around to see a masked figure on the screen.

"Hello, Ben Tennyson," the figure greeted.

"Who are you?" Ben demanded to know. "How do you know my name?"

"Who doesn't know the famous Ben Tennyson," the figure answered. "Alos, it doesn't matter who I am. You will find out soon enough."

"How dare you do that to her?" Ben growled, pointing to the stack of paper on the floor. "She was just a child."

"Just like you were," the figure laughed. "She is merely a failed experiment. All failed experiments need to be exterminated." Ben's eyes widened as one of the screens shows a view of the Rust Bucket.

"You bastard," Ben growled as he saw groups of people approaching it.

"That's mean," the figure replied. "Well, I probably deserve it. After all, your precious niece is in there." Ben just glared at the figure with murderous eyes.

"Ohh, so scary," the figure taunted. "You didn't have those eyes long ago, but it's probably an effect of being on the streets for so long." Ben continued to glare at the figure as he heard a crackle.

"Oh, it looks like its starting," the figure said. "I'm going to have so much fun with you." Ben pressed his finger against his earpiece as the figure disappeared.

"UNCLE MAX," Ben heard Aurora scream.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked.

"There's a bunch of strange men in armor outside," Aurora answered.

"Aurora, get out of there," Ben ordered. Then, he heard a loud explosion. He turned his head to the screen to see smoke.

"AURORA!"

* * *

 **Just for you guys to know. Here is the list of aliens Ben has access to;**

 **Swampfire**

 **XLR8**

 **Diamond Head**

 **Humongosaur**

 **Ghostfreak**

 **Echo Echo**

 **Way Big**

 **Feedback**

 **Cannonball**

 **Alien X**


	4. Chapter 3: A Short Battle

**A/N: Sorry if the chapter is shorter than you expected. It is nice to know that a lot of people are enjoying this story. I will try to upload more chapters over the next couple of months. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Reviews are welcome. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

"AURORA!" Ben shouted into his earpiece, staring at the screen. He breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the smoke dissipate to reveal an unharmed Rust Bucket.

"Well, that's fortunate for you," the figure spoke in an amused tone. "It seems like the Rust Bucket has improved since I last saw it. The last time I did that it didn't even survive." Clenching his teeth, Ben pulled his left sleeve, unveiling the Omnitrix.

"So, that's where the Omnitrix is. It's not surprising that Azmuth would leave the device with you. All the better when I finally rip the skin off your bones," the figure sneered before the screen turned black. Ben then started to inspect his room as he heard buzz from his earpiece.

"Aurora, are you all right?" Ben immediately responded, pressing a finger to his ear.

"I-I-I'm fine, U-U-U-Uncle Max," Aurora's voice stuttered, clearly terrified.

"Hang on, I'm on my way," Ben consoled his niece, clenching his teeth.

"It's too late, Uncle Max," Aurora started to bawl. "There's so many people outside with guns and the computer keeps on saying the word malfunction. Jennifer is hiding herself underneath the beds."

"Aurora, breath. No one is going to hurt you. I swear on my life. We will be in the sky before you could say chocolate," Ben promised Aurora, activating the Omnitrix. There was silence in Ben's ear, making him extremely worried. He quickly rotated the Omnitrix until he found the alien he was looking for. He slammed his palm on the Omnitrix. A green light enveloped Ben before a dark grey ghost appeared in Ben's place.

"I can't believe Azmuth managed to keep Ghostfreak in the Omnitrix," Ben muttered to himself, turning transparent at the same time. He flew towards the recently closed door and found himself outside the room. It was then he saw multiple rows of blasters aimed right at the door. Luckily, Ben was transparent and thus, the automated blasters couldn't detect him or else he would have been blasted to oblivion. He phased through the rows of blasters before becoming transparent again. He pressed against the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and transformed into XLR8. With resounding speed, he dashed to the bottom floor via the stairs and ran out into the streets of Rome.

"I'm nearly there," Ben muttered to himself. Thinking about Aurora's state, a vision of a horrified and bawling alien flashed in front of Ben's eyes. The vision greatly disrupted Ben's concentration. Going at a speed at just under the speed of sound, a lack of concentration could spell out life or death for anyone. A crack in the street tripped Ben, making him skid across the concrete surface. Ben tried to suppress his pain, but he still emitted a soft groan of pain.

"Why now of all times?" Ben growled to himself, picking himself up. He ignored the civilians taking pictures or gawking in a mixture of fear, amazement, and trepidation. Blue blood could be staining the black skin of his XLR8 form, but Ben had no time for medical attention. He dashed off again as fast as he could. He arrived at the carpark to see the Rust Bucket being bombarded by blaster fire from all sides. The vehicle's automated defense system was clearly losing power rapidly each millisecond. Without a moment's hesitation, he sliced apart all of the attackers. He stopped right in front of the Rust Bucket and peered inside. His blood started to boil as he saw Aurora lying unconscious near the door. He heard a groan behind him to see one of the humans, bleeding profusely out of his arm. He was attempting to crawl away. Ben knelled down next to the man and stabbed his hand. The man howled in pain as he rolled over his back while staring at the wound in his hand.

"Now then, tell me everything you know and I might just relieve you of the pain," Ben threatened, standing up. The man stared up at Ben. Most likely due to the mixture of pain and the silhouette of Ben against the sun, the man only screamed at the sight of Ben. he then tried to crawl even faster away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ben demanded to know, following the man. "I asked you a question and I expect you to answer."

"S-S-S-Stay away from me," the man yelled out in fear, grabbing a blaster. He screamed as he saw a hand still attached to the blaster. Losing his patience, Ben smacked the blaster out of the man's hand before placing his blade hand against the man's neck.

"don't kill me," the man weakly pleaded.

"Then, tell me everything you know," Ben ordered. It was then he felt a sudden change in the wind. Whipping around, his alien mind barely managed to process a figure running at him. He dashed away just in time to dodge a punch from a strange being. The being was just slightly taller than the average human, had the body of a normal person, and possessed no hair. It was naked except for short khaki pants and it had very tanned skin. The being reminded Ben of a super soldier.

"Alucdra, you're here," the man exclaimed in excitement. The being known as Alucdra rotated its head to stare at the man. To Ben and the man's horror, Alucdra picked up the man and devoured him piece by piece. The entire carpark was filled with the screams of the man.

" _What alien is this_?" Ben thought to himself as he prepared himself. Alucdra finished devouring the man before throwing the remaining pieces of the man onto the ground. A strange red aura started to coat the being's body. Then, it disappeared into the wind. Ben looked around his surroundings to try and find Alucdra. It was then he felt a presence behind him. Turning around, all he saw was a fist flying straight for his face. He was sent flying and crashed into a nearby car. This time, Ben did scream out in pain, but he couldn't relax as he saw Alucdra lunge at him. Despite his body screaming, Ben managed to run off to another position and could only watch in shock as the car was sent flying into the sky by Alucdra's punch. After the smoke dissipated, Ben could see that Alucdra's foot was stuck into the ground.

" _Now's my chance_ ," Ben thought before he dashed with his hands ready to slice apart the strange being. However, his arm just slammed against the skin of Alucdra. It was at that moment Ben knew he screwed up. Alucdra grabbed his arm before punching him into the ground. With a howl of pain, Ben spat out blood. His body went limp in pain before he was nailed into the ground again.

" _This alien's strength is stronger than anything I've ever faced_ ," was the last line of thought Ben could consciously create as he saw Alucdra lift its fist again, stained with Ben's blood. Then, Ben remembered something. Clenching his teeth to ignore the pain, he barely managed to slam his hand against the Omnitrix symbol. The green light from the Omnitrix pushed back Alucdra, blinding him temporarily. However, it immediately went reasserted its position. It lifted its hand before punching the space where Ben's head was. When it lifted its hand up, blood was flowing down its fist. It was then the green light vanished to reveal a white and black XLR8 with longer blades for hands with spikes on its tail. Blood was dripping from Ben's blades while a smirk adorned his facial features.

"Surprised?" Ben taunted before he lunged his hand at Alucdra's head. Alucdra managed to dodge the stab, but it was still grazed by Ben's blade. Alucdra jumped back as Ben picked himself up. Blood was still dripping off his body, but Ben felt stronger, faster, and even smarter. As soon as he stood up, he lunged at Alucdra in a great burst of speed. Alucdra was still able to keep up with Ben, but the two were on even playing ground. With each punch Alucdra gave, Ben was able to make the being bleed. Blow after blow. Slice after slice. The concrete of the carpark was quickly stained in blood. After one severely damaging punch, Ben started hear the Omnitrix beep.

" _I don't have much time left. I need to end this in the next five seconds or else I'm dead_ ," Ben thought to himself as Alucdra started running towards him.

 _"5."_ Ben charged the rapidly approaching Alucdra. He readied his blade.

" _4_." The two were two yards apart. Ben could feel the sweat on his skin as he braced himself.

" _3._ " Ben stabbed forward while Alucdra went for an uppercut.

" _2._ " Ben's blade was mere millimetres from Alucdra's head while Alucdra's fist was rapidly approaching Ben's exposed chin.

" _1."_ Ben was certain that he had Alucdra. It was in that moment everything changed. Alucdra vanished into thin air to the shock of Ben. He whipped around to try and find Alucdra. Then, he saw Alucdra appear right in front of him just as the familiar green light enveloped his entire body. Ben saw himself staring up at Alucdra in anticipation.

"You're a good fighter. The time for you to die has not come," Alucdra spoke in a surprisingly calm tone before he walked away. Ben was shocked at what happened. It was then his injuries took the better of him. His mind completely shut down and he collapsed. Before his vision turned dark, he could faintly see a spark of electricity before the sound of someone calling out to him.


	5. Chapter 4: Piece of the Puzzle

**Here is another chapter of The Missing Hero. Hope you enjoy. Reviews are welcome. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

Waking up with a groan, Ben opened his eyes to see the ceiling of the Rust Bucket. His eyes blinked in confusion for a moment as he was certain that he fainted in the middle of a parking lot. Picking himself up, his whole body weeped in pain. He collapsed back onto wherever he was lying, which was the floor.

"At least, put me on a bed," Ben mumbled to himself before pushing through the pain and stood up. He checked his surroundings to see Aurora and Jennifer sleeping uncomfortably on the adjacent beds next to him. He just shook his head before his way over to the bathroom. Locking the door behind him, he took of his jacket and shirt to look at his injuries in the mirror. He only had a black eye while his torso was littered with bruises.

"Hmm, nothing seems to be broken. It seems the enhanced XLR8 managed to absorb most of the punches, so it couldn't do much everlasting damage," Ben thought to himself before putting back on his jacket and shirt. He then walked out of the bathroom, heading to the driver's seat. He was surprised to see the Rust Bucket flying through the air.

"Computer, where are we going?" Ben asked out loud. To his surprise, there was no response. He asked the question again, but there was still no response. Frowning, he inspected the dashboard to see signs of tampering. With extreme caution, he checked the circuitry.

"Oh, what did they do?" Ben just sighed before inspecting the wires. Once he was done inspecting, Ben just shook his head before sitting back down on the driver's seat.

"Computer, show me the route to our destination," Ben spoke out loud. He grinned when a hologram of the entire planet appeared next to him. He then saw the destination they were heading for.

"Why are we heading to South Africa?" Ben muttered to himself. "Computer, give me an analysis of the location we are heading to." The hologram of the world disappeared before being replaced by a hologram of a city with statistics around it.

"Let's see, there was a recent spike in alien activity. It seems Aurora noticed this and set a course for it. Smart girl," Ben smirked. He then closed his eyes to rest.

* * *

"~cle Max, are you alright?" Ben heard a voice wake him from his slumber. He blinked his eyes open to see Aurora looking at him, concerned.

"Yeah, that's a question I should be asking you. What happened when the Rust Bucket attacked?" Ben responded, sitting himself up straight on his seat. His eyes drifted to see Jennifer huddled up at the dining table.

"I don't really remember much after I called you. There was a loud boom before everything turned dark. When I woke up, Jennifer was trying to lift you up into the Rust Bucket," Aurora told Ben, who just nodded his head. He then looked out the window to see the sun high in the sky.

"Now then, what happened to the computer? It seems some of the circuitry is fried," Ben inquired, pointing to the dashboard. He raised an eyebrow at the embarassed expression growing on Aurora's face.

"Well, you see," Aurora started off, scratching the back of his head. "When Jennifer and I finally managed to get you in here, the entire Rust Bucket seemed to have lost power. Jennifer and I were trying to find a way to fix it and one thing lead to another. We managed to get power back on, but it was through massive amount of trial and error. Though, I did manage to set up a destination."

"Good job, it seems like that South Africa will give us some answers," Ben replied, nodding his head. He then looked at Jennifer more closely.

"She saved your life, Uncle Max. There was this bloody and terrifying man nearby you. It seemed like she scared of him off," Aurora informed Ben, who just frowned.

"Keep an eye on everything while I go to the mysterious heir," Ben told her before walking over to Jennifer. He sat down opposite her. It was no surprise to Ben that Jennifer didn't respond to his presence. After a moment of silence, Ben finally decided to break the silence between the two of them.

"I know what they did to you," Ben broke the silence. Instantly, electricty started to spark around Jennifer as she looked at Ben with wide eyes.

"It seems her powers spark when she is emotionally unstable" Ben thought to himself as the electricity died down. Jennifer looked away from Ben and hugged her body even closer to herself.

"You should know that what you were forced through should never have happened. Those people that experimented on you were in the wrong," Ben continued. "If you want, I can remove the foreign alien DNA from your system." Jennifer looked at him in shock before a look of contemplation appeared on her face.

"Just give yourself some time to think about it," Ben said before standing back up. He walked back to the front to see curiousity evident on Aurora's face. He just shook his head, ignoring Aurora's pout. He plopped back down on the driver's seat before watching the scenery pass by.

* * *

The Rust Bucket landed in a parking lot at South Africa. Ben prepped himself to raid another building with mainly explosives and armor shielding this time. As Ben prepared, he noticed Jennifer and Aurora getting ready themselves. Aurora was adorning the gautlet Ben gave her at the old Plumber base while Jennifer was wearing clothing to cover up most of her body.

"What do you think you two are doing?" Ben asked, making the two girls look at him in surprise.

"We're going with you, Uncle Max. We can help you," Aurora answered while Jennifer just nodded her head in agreement. Ben just shook his head before walking to the door of the Rust Bucket.

"Stay here," Ben ordered, opening the door. Jennifer and Aurora seemed indignant at Ben's words, but he ignored them.

"Uncle Max, you can't stop us. We're going with you," Aurora responded, crossing her arms. Ben just inwardly groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"Is this what Grandpa Max had to deal with? Actually, it was more like he was dragged into dire situations because of me or Gwen," Ben wondered to himself. He then concentrated on the determined faces on the two girls' faces. "It should be fine. It's not like it is a major Forever Knights base or anything. Though, it would be good to string them along."

"No, the two of you are to stay here in the Rust Bucket until I get back," Ben commanded in a firm voice. He then left the Rust Bucket and closed the door behind him. Checking the time on the Omnitrix, he leaned against the side of the Rust Bucket. After a brief moment of time, the Rust Bucket door opened up to Ben's expectation. He checked the time on the Omnitrix as the girls were exiting the vehicle.

"Took you two two minutes longer than I expected," Ben surprised Aurora before ducking to avoid a blast from Jennifer. He raised an eyebrow at Jennifer, who just pulled on her hood even more.

"I need to set some basic ground rules," Ben stated, lifting up a finger representing each rule. "One: you are to obey any command I give you. Two: if I have to use the Omnitrix, that means the situation is serious and thus, you run away as fast as you can. Three: never jeopardize your wellbeing to try and save me. If you follow these rules, I will allow you to help me. Understand?" Aurora and Jennifer nodded their heads, earning a smirk from Ben. He then motioned them to follow him. They walked the streets of South Africa to the location of the source of the alien spike. When the building was in sight, Ben noticed something odd.

"Move into this alley," Ben ordered the two. The three walked into an alley just as a drone flew down the street.

"What's wrong, Uncle Max?" Aurora inquired, looking around for anything unusual. Ben watched the drone pass by with a careful eye.

"Oh, that's one of Great-Grandpa Max's drones," Aurora stated, noticing what Ben was looking at. Ben looked at her in surprise before aiming his Proto-Gun at the top of the building. A grappling hook was fired and latched onto the top of the building.

"I will reel the two of you up," Ben told the girls before he was pulled up. He landed on top of the building and checked his surroundings. It was empty without a single trace of a human soul. He then looked back at the alley to see Aurora and Jennifer looking up at him expectantly.

"Grab onto the grappling hook," Ben shouted to the two before firing his gun. He watched as Aurora grabbed onto the line. Once he was certain she was secure, he reeled in the line until Aurora was just under the edge of the building. He then helped her up before repeating the same process with Jennifer.

"Uncle Max, why are we on the roof?" Aurora inquired.

"Aurora, you told me that drone was Grandpa Max's, right?" Ben replied.

"Yeah, Dad would sometimes bring home some to work on them."

"Did your Dad tell you anything useful about them?"

"No, I wasn't really interested in them, but Dad did tell me that they help Great-Grandpa Max."

"That's interesting," Ben put a finger to his chin. All three of them transversed rooftop by rooftop. Then, Ben stopped on a rooftop.

"Jennifer, are you able to disable the silent alarm around this building?" Ben asked, pointing to a piece of architecture adjacent to them. Jennifer looked at her hands before they started to spark. She then fired off a blast of electricity. An invisible field seemed to abosrb the blast before it glowed red. Then, it disappeared.

"Thanks," Ben nodded his head in gratitude before jumping to the next building. Jennifer just followed Ben silently. On top of the rooftop, Ben made a hole into the rooftop. He peered inside to see nothing in sight.

"It's clear to move in, but stay close to me and keep your eyes peeled," Ben told Aurora and Jennifer before jumping into the hole. He caught Aurora and Jennifer before moving downstairs with them following close. It was concerning to Ben to travel multiple flight of stairs without encountering anyone. It was not until they reached the ground floor that he heard something. He gestured for the two girls to keep quiet before creeping over to a door as queit as a mouse.

"Get ready for something," Ben told Aurora, who absorbed the metal of her gautlet, and Jennifer, who started to spark. He then gently opened the door and peeked inside. His eyes could perceive a labarotory with six guards and multiple scientists. He then saw something truly horrifying. One of the scientists were working on the corpse of an alien. The scientist was disecting it before handing it over to other scientists, which they experimented with. Ben followed the scientists before he saw the pile of discard alien tissue or bones in a corner of the lab.

"Stay here. I can deal with this," Ben, barely able to control his rage, ordered the two girls. Before he could hear an indignant response, he kicked open the door wide and fired a laser shot at the head of one of the guards. The laboratory burst into chaos as the scientists ran desperately for cover while guards were trying to shoot down Ben, who already amanaged to headshot another guard and was using an upturned steel table as cover. With four guards pinning Ben into one spot, Ben could see multiple options that will lead him to victory. He decided to go for minimal damage. He fired off multiple shots to show he was still alive. The other guards feel to the bait and opened heavy fire at the location where he was.

"Net," Ben whispered before hearing the proto-gun reconfigure itself. He then waited for another second before peeking out of his cover. He smirked as he saw all four guards standing nearby each other with their guns aimed solely at where he was. He then stood up from his cover. Both sides shot. Two nets managed to entrap all four guards while Ben was shot in the shoulder and slightly grazed the side of his stomach. Holding onto his shoulder, Ben inspected the laboratory. It was rather simple with standard lab equipment broken and scattered across the floor. Ben frowned before walking over to the trapped guards. They were struggling violently to the laser nets, but their efforts were fruitless.

"Tell me, what were the Plumbers doing with these aliens?" Ben demanded to know, placing his gun at the forehead of a gun. All of a sudden, the guards stopped resisting and just possessed a dull look in their eyes. One, in particularly, intrigued Ben as he was about Jennifer's age, but emmitted a mature and professional vibe to him.

"Hail Max," one of the guards cried out before her body started to convulse. Ben watched in horror as the skin of the guard's head melted off, leaving nothing, but a skull. He then heard more of the same phrase from two other guards. They suffered the same fate as their partner. The intriguin guard opened his mouth to speak. Knowing what was going to happen, Ben quickly knocked out the guard before he could speak.

"It seems that I will need to pay a visit to Grandpa Max," Ben muttered to himself before looking around the lab. Shrugging his shoulders, he planted five K5 - four in the corner and one in the middle - before picking up the unconscious body of the guard. He then walked outside to see Aurora and Jennifer looking at the guard curiously.

"He has information we need," Ben stated before a dark look adorned his face. "I think it's time for a short family reunion."


End file.
